After Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said this week that the NFL\u2019s Rooney Rule mandates hiring practices that violate Florida law, the league said it believes its policies are consistent with the law.<\/p>\n
Uthmeier said his office sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell threatening possible enforcement actions if the league doesn\u2019t suspend the rule, which was established in 2003 to encourage owners and team presidents to consider a diverse range of candidates for team leadership positions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe NFL\u2019s use of the Rooney Rule violates Florida law by requiring race-based considerations in hiring,\u201d Uthmeier said in a video posted on social media<\/a> Wednesday. \u201cFlorida law is clear: Hiring decisions cannot be based on race. And the Rooney Rule mandates race-based interviews and incentivizes race-based decisions. That\u2019s discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said in a statement Friday: \u201cWe are reviewing the letter. We believe our policies are consistent with the law and reflect our commitment to fairness, opportunity, and building the strongest possible teams.\u201d<\/p>\n The NFL describes the Rooney Rule<\/a> as promoting \u201cdiverse leadership among NFL clubs to ensure that promising candidates have the opportunity to prove they have the necessary skills and qualifications to excel.\u201d<\/p>\n Uthmeier, the former chief of staff for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), asked the league to confirm \u201cno later than May 1\u201d that it would no longer enforce the Rooney Rule for its Florida franchises. The NFL has three teams in Florida: the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re demanding the NFL suspend the Rooney Rule, and failure to do so may result in enforcement actions against the league for race-based discrimination,\u201d Uthmeier said.<\/p>\n In the most recent offseason head coaching hiring cycle, no Black coaches were hired for any of the league\u2019s 10 vacancies. Robert Saleh, who is of Lebanese descent, was hired as the Tennessee Titans\u2019 head coach \u2014 the lone minority head-coaching hire this offseason.<\/p>\n Goodell said at this year\u2019s Super Bowl<\/a> that he remains committed to the Rooney Rule and that the league needs to continue encouraging diverse candidates for the most important team leadership openings.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe in diversity,\u201d Goodell said then. \u201cI think we have become more diverse across every platform, including coaching. But we have some more work to do. There\u2019s got to be more steps.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rooney Rule was named for Dan Rooney, the late owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who was chairman of the NFL\u2019s Workplace Diversity Committee (now known as the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee). The rule originally required every team with a head-coaching vacancy to interview at least one diverse candidate before making a hire.<\/p>\n